This year marks Varsity’s 70th anniversary, and a lot has changed since 1947, when Varsity as we now know it was founded. The fact that its brief iteration before then culminated in the Editor being challenged to a duel is proof enough of this.

But journalism has changed vastly since then, too. Technology has revolutionised the industry in ways we could never have predicted: one of our competitors, The Tab, like so many outlets these days, exists solely online, and social media is increasingly becoming people’s first port of call for current affairs, despite the proliferation of #FakeNews we are hearing so much about.

Varsity is, in many ways, a small player: a free weekly, run by students, alongside their degrees.

But if that makes us David, our attitude for the last 70 years has always been: we’ll be damned if we’re not going to slay Goliath. We break stories, local and national, and we nurture some of the brightest young journalistic talent. Last year marked the 20th anniversary of our website, making us one of the first student papers to have embraced the possibilities of the internet, back in 1996. We’ve just launched our second radio show – The Vulture Show – on Cam FM.

And so now, still going after that giant, we present to you Violet, a new blog platform run by Varsity. Violet is the colour of individualism, extravagance and the unconventional (according to Wikipedia, anyway). It’s also the colour of royalty, but we’ll leave you to make your own comparisons there.

“Student protests, University announcements, meme wars – Violet will have the lot, and more.”

Think of Violet as Varsity’s younger sister. When there’s yet another referendum, you’ll turn to Varsity, as always, for interviews with the major players, what different outcomes might mean for you, and all the important updates, as and when they happen. Then, you’ll turn to Violet for the who-said-what, a dissection of all the latest campaign statements (the more ridiculous, the better), and a more light-hearted take on events, all presented in bitesized chunks.

Student protests, University announcements, meme wars – Violet will have the lot, and more. Read together, Violet and Varsity aim to inject some wit, intelligent thinking and, importantly, fun into this town which can sometimes seem like the most surreal place on earth.

With that in mind, take a look at our first pieces, up now: Martha O’Neil asks us to shake off the pessimism of 2016; Sam Willis argues Theresa May is basically Ed Miliband; Anna Hollingsworth gives us the first instalment in her commitment to go vegan for Violet.

There’s more, too. Have a read, and enjoy a true colour, with a light wavelength of 380-450 nanometres – no, sorry, Wikipedia again.

Enjoy Violet, by Varsity.

We'd love you to write for Violet. Pitch your ideas to blog@varsity.co.uk.